25 March 2020, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said that it had prepared an indictment against 20 suspects over the killing of Khashoggi: For instigating a premeditated murder with the intent of [causing] torment through fiendish instinct Ahmad Asiri, former deputy head of Saudi Arabia's general intelligence Saud al-Qahtani, former royal court adviser For carrying out the killing Maher Mutreb, intelligence operative Salah al-Tubaigy, forensic expert Fahad al-Balawi, member of the Saudi royal guard 15 others. As a response, Saudi Arabia refused to extradite the defendants even though after the death of Khashoggi, King Salman dismissed both al-Qahtani and Asiri from their posts. The indictment by the Istanbul prosecutor was based on: Analysis of mobile phone records of the suspects, Records of their entry and exit into Turkey, Presence at the consulate, Witness statements, Analysis of Khashoggi's phone, laptop, and tablet. Istanbul prosecutor will try the accused in absentia as none of the accused are in Turkey and seek life sentences for 18 of them and 2 (al-Qahtani and Asiri) with incitement of first-degree murder. In the meantime, Turkey accused Saudi officials of obscuring investigations at the consulate while Saudis said that the Istanbul prosecutor has not complied with their requests to share information. On 3 July 2020, Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi spoke at the opening of the trial of his assassination at the Turkish court stating that the Washington Post columnist was killed by a team of Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul through "a great betrayal and deception," and she asked that all persons responsible for his killing be brought to justice. On 28 September 2020, Turkish prosecutors prepared a second indictment against six Saudi officials involved in the murder of Khashoggi. Earlier in July 2020, the first public trial was opened into Khashoggi's murder against 20 Saudi nationals. On 7 April 2022, a Turkish court ordered the transfer of the trial to Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that many of the suspects had already been acquitted in Saudi Arabia. The decision was criticized by human rights advocates and lawyers involved in the case. U.S. response Immediately following the assassination, politicians were divided as to which, if any, economic or other sanctions should be applied to Saudi Arabia. Six weeks after the assassination, the CIA leaked its conclusion that Crown Prince bin Salman had ordered the assassination. From then on the U.S. Congress tried